Giants show how it might have been

Published 4:00 am, Wednesday, September 20, 1995

LOS ANGELES - If the Giants had put together more games like Tuesday's 7-2 win over the Dodgers, then manager Dusty Baker wouldn't be lamenting a season of consuming disappointment.

They battered their old nemesis, Hideo Nomo, for seven hits and six runs, including a three-run double by Kirt Manwaring. They got solid starting pitching from Mark Leiter (7-7/8 innings, two earned runs). And they got a nice relief effort from Shawn Barton, who worked out of a bases-loaded jam in the eighth and went on to get his first major-league save.

In the process, they harmed the Dodgers' playoff hopes (perhaps most seriously when Leiter hit Mike Piazza on the left wrist, severely bruising it and putting his future availability into question), while doing little to revive their own, which would require an act of providence.

"We're going to try to finish as high as we can finish and win as many games as we can," Baker said. "I want no one to win. I don't want to help anyone. No one gave us nothing. I don't care about helping the Dodgers or the Rockies. I want to help us.

"I want to get out of last place. I want to finish .500, go home happy and a winner."

But there have been too few happy days for the Giants, who are six games under .500 and eight games out of first. Baker cites the injury that knocked Matt Williams out for 2-1/4 months as the most damaging, but that was just one of a series of setbacks for his club.

"It started out messed up, with replacements and injuries," Baker said. "It was a different year from the very beginning. We've done the best we could with the personnel we had, and all the injuries. Guys have busted their butts.

"Sometimes you've got to say, are we better than this, or did we overachieve with what we had, or were the strike and injuries a factor? You can't decide that until the offseason. Right now, it's spilt milk."

When Baker looks back at the season, he points to the first four games of the Giants' Eastern road swing after the All-Star break, when they lost late leads each time. The sweep by the Cardinals on the last road trip will also haunt him.

"In all seven of those games, the pitching staff was beat up, or we didn't play good defense," he said. "I can name any number of games we lost in the eighth or ninth. I can probably name a couple dozen of those. At least a dozen."

The ninth was once the sole province of Rod Beck, but he proved his fallibility this year with a league-leading 10 blown saves. And the setup for Beck was consistently atrocious no matter who was doing it - and just about every live arm in the organization got his chance.

"It was doubly tough, because I felt comfortable getting to that point of the game," Baker said.

Baker said he is inclined to stick with his regulars, even after the Giants are eliminated from playoff contention. They play eight of their final 11 games against the Rockies, including the last four of the year at Coors Field.

"I have an obligation to put out the best lineup I can," he said. "You want to be professional. I know when we were on the other end, fighting Atlanta (in 1993), we complained."

Baker might get a chance to look at youngsters in center field, because Deion Sanders reiterated Tuesday he will undergo left ankle surgery as soon as the Giants are mathematically eliminated from playoff contention. Baker mentioned Rikkert Faneyte, Marvin Benard and David McCarty as candidates for playing time.

"If we're eliminated, this season is over," Baker said.

"Then we'll be playing on pride. You can't really blame (Sanders) for trying to get ready for his next season."

Piazza writhed in pain after he was hit in the first inning by Leiter. He remained in the game but exited after the Dodgers were retired and was taken for X-rays, which showed no fracture. He will be re-examined Wednesday by Dr. Frank Jobe.

"That rattled me," Leiter said. "I don't want to hit anybody or put anyone out of the game. I overthrew a fastball. He dives as it is. I felt bad. I don't want to see the Dodgers lose their MVP player."

NOTES: William VanLandingham is not responding to treatment for a strained groin and will miss at least one more start. Rookie Shawn Estes will again take his place Friday against the Rockies.&lt;